Textile thread carrier



y 1949- c. K. DUN LAP 2,470,549

TEXTILE THREAD CARRIER Filed April 1, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l 11 J1 1* 1217 1Q 12 A 17 l .2 v

2 z 4 4 i i i 3nventor (Ittorneg May 17, 1949. c. K. DUNLAP TEXTILETHREAD CARRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 1, 1946 INVENTOR.

67/4/9115? A. DUN/17p I by thread windings placed on the carrier.

Patented May 11, 1949 TEXTILE THREAD cumma Charles K. Dunlap,Hartlville, 8. 0., assignor to Sonoco Products Company, a corporation ofSouth Carolina Application April 1, 1946, Serial No. 658,842

Claims. (0]. 242-118) 1 This invention relates to textile thread'carriers' such as spools and bobbins, and more particularly to suchcarriers of the type having a cylindrical body or barrel fitted withtapered or conical end portions forming heads on the barrel.

Thread carriers of the above mentioned type are used extensively in thetextile industry, and are commonly constructed of paper or similarfibrous material, because inexpensive, lightweight carriers can bemanufactured from such material. Heretofore it has been usual to formthe carriers by adapting a fibrous tubular body as the cylindricalbarrel member and fitting this body with conical elements of the samematerial at the ends. The carriers are conventionally re-;

ferred to as spools when the conical elements are,

fitted to form heads at each end of the cylindrical barrel, and asbobbins when only one head or base is provided.

A. principal problem in the manufacture of textile thread carriers ofthis type arises from I the difficulty encountered in fitting thetapered or conical end portions properly on the tubular bodies orbarrels. These end portions must in the first place be adequatelysecured on the barrels so that they will not shift or become dislodgedunder the substantial pressure exerted At the same time the jointbetween the conical end portions and the cylindrical barrel must besmooth. If any perceptible shoulder or gap is presented at this point,the thread windings will tendto pile up at the joint and roll upon oneanother so that they become locked which results,

in breakage upon unwinding.

This problem is well recognized in the industry and a number ofarrangements have heretofore been proposed for fitting the end portionson the tubular barrel to avoid the above mentioned difficulties. All ofthese proposals, however, insofar as I am aware have contemplatedfitting separate end portions on the barrels, and with such anarrangement the allowable tolerances in fitting the parts is so strictthat these proposals have not been well adapted for large scalemanufacture.

According to the present invention a textile thread carrier is providedcomprising a fibrous tubular body formed-with integral conical endportions, which not only obviates the problem of securing the endportions in place but also eliminates any joint between the end portionsand the tubular barrel so that the above mentioned productiondiiiiculties are avoided. The integral conical end portions are formedas described more in detail. below by folding the fibrous tubular bodyor barrel at intervals parallel with its longitudinal axis but in alongitudinal extent terminating short of each end of the body. The foldsthus formed result in contracting the tubular body diametrically exceptas the folds terminate short of the ends of the body to produce integralconical end portions. These folds have the further characteristic offorming reinforcing ribs-which provide a sturdy and serviceable carrierstructure.-

Another feature of the present invention is that the above mentionedribbed construction is also well adapted for forming thread cores foruse in dyeing operations, as pointed out more in detail below. f

My invention is illustrated .in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a textile thread carrier constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevation, partly in section, showing a modified embodimentin which an inner reinforcing sleeve is provided;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 ofFig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an elevation, partly in section, showing a furthermodification;

Fig. 6 is an elevation, partly in section, illustrating an adaptation ofthe present invention as a thread core for use in dyeing operations;

Fig. '7 is a section on the line 'I'I of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is an elevation showing a further modification of the thread coreshown in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9-4! of Fig. 8. The embodiment shown inFig. 1 of the drawing illustrates a textile thread carrier of the spooltype constructed in accordance with the present invention. As mentionedabove, the

conventional spool type of carrier comprises a cylindrical barrel Illfitted with tapered or conical end portions II at each end. The presentinvention is illustrated and described hereafter principally in relationto this type of carrier for purposes of conciseness, but it will beapparent. that it is applicable as well to the bobbin types.

of carrier mentioned above in which only one conical end portion or baseis used. The bobbin form of carrier might be readily formed accord ingto the present invention by either modifying the manner of folding thebarrel ID as described below so that only one conical end portion II isformed, or by providing the barrel ill in suflicient length so that itmay be cut transversely 1, the straight portion [4 is to produce twobobbins after conical end portions have been formed on thelonger barrel.

As mentionedabove, the textile thread carriers of the present inventionare formed by folding a fibrous tubular body allel with its longitudinalaxis so that the tubular body is contracted diametrically. Folding ofthe tubular body in this manner forms the cylindrical barrel ID as shownin Fig. 1 with the spaced folds l2. As these folds I! are disposedinwardly to obtain a cylindrical outer surface for the barrel in, thefolds I 2 form a segmented outer surface on the barrel ID asillustrated. In order to integrate this segmented surface, the folds i2are set in place preferably by flattening them out as indicated at l3 inFig. 2. This flattening produces a locking effect which not only orientsthe segments of the barrel l properly but reinforces the barrel l0 aswell, the flattened folds as at l3 being disposed in the nature ofreinforcing ribs. A suitable adhesive may be applied'to the tubular bodyas the folds l2 are formed to supplement this locking effect if desired.

The conical end portions ll result from the fact as previously notedthat the longitudinal folds I! are formed in a longitudinal extentterminating short of the ends of the fibrous tubular body from which thecarrier is made. To start with, this tubular body has a diametercorresponding to that of the conical end portions ll at their base. Asthe contraction which follows when the tubular body is folded to formthe barrel I0 is limited by terminating the folds 12 short of the endsof the tubular body, these end portions will be subjected to a graduatedcontraction which will result in the conical end portions H. The endportions H are accordingly formed integral with the barrel It so that noassembly operation is required, and no problem of securing the endportions H on the barrel in is involved.

The textile thread carriers formed in this manner may be further formedwith a straight portion M on one of the conical elements It to providefor wrapping a tail, that is, several free windings of the thread woundas a package on the carrier, for use in disposing the thread for feedingto textile machinery. As shown in Fig. provided with a groove I5 toreceive this tall.

The fibrous tubular body used in making the carrier may be formed in anysuitable manner. A very satisfactory tubular. body may be prepared bywinding a paper blank convolutely upon itself to form a laminatedtubular body held together by a suitable adhesive applied to the paperblank before winding. Good strength characteristics can be obtained inthis manner, and the size and wall thickness of the tubular body can beeasily adjusted when this method is applied.

The further embodiments of the present invention illustrated in Figs. 3to 5 show arrangements in which further reinforcing means are employedin forming the carriers. In Fig. 3, the carrier shown is essentiallysimilar to the one described above in connection with Fig. 1 except thatan inner sleeve I6 is disposed and adhesively secured in place insidethe barrel Ill. Arrangement of the inner sleeve is in this mannerresults in a structure somewhat similar to that corrugated paper (seeFig. 4) in view of the disposition of the flattened ribs l3 inside thebarrel Ill. Where added strength characteristics are desirable, as inthe case of certain synthetic fibers such as nylon with which atintervals par-v 5 excessive stresses are sometimes encountered due tocontraction after winding, the arrangement illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4provides a ready method of obtaining the necessary added strength. Theinner sleeve It may be formed of paper too, or other suitable materialsuch as thin metal tubing may be used as indicated in particularinstances.

The embodiment shown in Fig. 5 .of the drawing includes provision forstill further reinforcement. In this case, a longer inner sleeve ll,similar in nature to the above described sleeve I6, is disposed insidebarrel in in suflicient length to extend through each of the conical endportions II and locate supporting disks Ill. The supporting disks it areformed to fit inside the conical end portions II at their base as shown,and provided with central openings so that they may be crimped in placeon the inner sleeve I! as indicated at l9.

As previously mentioned, the ribbed construction of the textile threadcarriers described above is also well adapted for forming thread coresfor use in dyeing operations. This modification is illustrated in Figs.6 to 9 of the drawing. The thread cores shown differ from the carriersdescribed above principally in that the longitudinal folds formed in thefibrous tubular body are formed outwardly rather than inwardly. Theoutwardly disposed folds are shown in Fig. 6 at 20, and the folds 2d areflattened in this case too (see Fig. 7) in order to obtain the lockingeffect of the ribbed construction described above. The flattened folds20 also provide supporting ribs for disposing the inner windings ofthread wound on the cores in spaced relation to the barrel portion Iiiof the fibrous tubular body.

Intermediate the folds 2d, perforations 2| are arranged in the wall ofthe barrel ID for passage and dye liquid to the windings of a threadpackage carried by the core. Thread cores of this general type haveheretofore been known, such a core being disclosed, for example, in myprior Patent No. 2,162,841, and reference is made to that patent forfurther details of the use-and application of such a thread core. Thethread cores of the present invention provide a unique improvement overprevious forms in the ribbed construction characterizing my presentinvention which provides the necessary spaced disposition for the innerthread windings and at the same time reinforces the core.

The remaining embodiment shown in Figs. 8 and 9 is mainly different inthat the longitudinal folds in the fibrous tubular body are notfiattened and accordingly assume the form indicated at 22. Such amodification may be used when it is desired to increase the spacingbetween the above mentioned inner windings and the barrel Hi. In such acase it may also be desirable to use an inner sleeve 23, such as isdescribed above, which may be adhesively secured inside of the barrel Ill as shown to aid in setting the folds 22 in place. The sleeve 23,however, may be included or omitted as indicated, and it may otherwisebe employed for further reinforcement of either of the thread coresshown in Figs. 6 or 8 in particular instances. When the inner sleeve 23is used the perforations 2| should of course extend through the sleeveas well as the barrel I0.

I claim:

1. A textile thread carrier comprising a fibrous tubular body formedwith integral conical end portions and reinforcing ribs, said endportions and reinforcing ribs being formed by folding said tubular bodyat intervals parallel with its longitudinal axis but in a longitudinalextent terminating short of each end of said body and flattening thefolds thus formed against said body whereby said reinforcing ribs areset in place.

2. A textile spool or bobbin comprising a fibrous tubular body adaptedas a spool or bobbin barrel formed with integral reinforcing ribs andconical end portions forming heads on said body, said dyeing operationscomprising a fibrous tubular body formed with integral conical endportions, said tubular body being folded outwardly at intervals parallelwith its longitudinal axis, the folds thus formed being flattenedagainst said tubular body and thereby set in place to reinforce saidbody and provide supporting ribs for disposing the inner windings ofthread wound on said carrier in spaced relation to said body, and thewall portions of said tubular body intermediate said folds beingperforated for passage of dye liquid to the thread windings.

4. A textile thread carrier adapted for use in dyeing operationscomprising a fibrous tubular body formed with integral conical endportions and longitudinal ribs, said end portions and ribs being formedby folding said tubular body outwardly at intervals parallel with itslongitudinal axis but in a longitudinal extent terminating short of eachend of said body, and flattening the folds thus formed against said bodywhereby said reinforcing ribs are set in place to reinforce said bodyand provide supporting ribs for disposing the innerwindings of threadwound on said carrier in spaced relation to said tubular body, the wallportions of said tubular body intermediate said folds being perforatedfor passage of dye liquid to the thread windings.

5. A textile thread carrier comprising a fibrous tubular body formedwith integral conical end portions and reinforcing ribs, said endportions and reinforcing ribs being formed by folding said tubular bodyat intervals parallel with its longitudinal axis but in a longitudinalextent terminating short of each end of said body and setting the foldsthus formed in place, and a tubular reinforcing sleeve adhesivelysecured internally of said body.

CHARLES K. DUNLAP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS France July 24, 1911

